How Democratic is the American Constitution? (Yale Nota Bene) Book

In How Democratic is the American Constitution? The author Dahl essentially debates the democratic nature of the American Constitution, questioning how truly democratic it can be whilst remaining so unchangeable and so rife with inequalities.

To quote from the foreword, 'Parts of this book were given as a series of Castle Lectures in Yale's Program in Ethics, Politics and Economics, delivered by Robert Dahl at Yale University in 2000.' This work was adapted and developed from this source and thus the entirety of this short book reads just like the deliverance of a lecture. The author frequently poses questions and arguments and then proceeds to answer or dispute them as if in audible debate with the reader. This method of writing challenges the reader to consider their personal interpretations and draw their own conclusions of the subject matter in a much more active manner than most similar works. Published by Yale University Press and penned by an eminent scholar one would perhaps be forgiven for expecting a convoluted and complicated potted history of the American Constitution, incorporated in an unfathomable tome of elaborately perplexing, cryptic interpretations. Instead this book is as accessible to undergraduates as it is to our most learned and eminent scholars. In fact this book could easily be accessed by the everyday American or non-American with a general knowledge of the Constitution. Naturally some scholars may consider this accessibility to the masses to be a poor accolade. However it would seem the author intended this book to spark debate and promote discussion regarding the Constitution amongst all Americans. Therefore Dahl should perceive this universal accessibility as a personal success.

To conclude this book is a must for all Americans and any foreign students of the American Constitution. Through his expressive and accessible prose Dahl forces the reader to reconsider and question every last detail of the Constitution challenging all of the reader's beliefs and preconceptions regarding this document. How Democratic is the American Constitution? Not democratic enough. Although whilst most would agree with the author on this point, hopefully not everyone will share Dahl's pessimism regarding the feasibility of change.